Clare Asquith > Quotes

“During a sinister interchange between one of the little princes and his wicked uncle, Richard III, the prince wonders how truth is passed down the ages - whether through the written or the spoken word (3.1.75-83). The prince believes, he says innocently, that the history of the Tower of London - a choice of subject never far from the minds of English Catholics - would survive simply by word of mouth, even if it were never written down. The little prince has stepped into dangerous territory. He is not only defending the role of tradition against scripture - a central Catholic Reformation stance - but he also suggests that the grisly truth about England's persecutions will survive irrespective of what appears in history books.”
― Clare Asquith, Shadowplay: The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare

“One of the revelations of the coded readings is that Shakespeare's 'bad' work always has a purpose, albeit a purpose that relates to a topical context we no longer recognize.”
― Clare Asquith, Shadowplay: The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare